It's all about digital shopping this year.Good-bye Black Friday, Hello Cyber Monday. More shoppers saved their Black Friday dollars for deals they found online in the run-up to the holidays. In fact, online shopping for Cyber Monday outperformed Black Friday numbers and shopping online on the infamous Black Friday even reached only $110 million less than in-store purchases on that day.

This year saw a 4.2 percent rise in online shopping but a 3.7 percent drop for in-store shoppers--further supporting this trend.

1. For the techie in each of us. This year, many of the most popular gifts are tech related. For example, some of the most popular items include Playstation VR (virtual reality), Apple's iPhone and MacBook, HTC Vive VR Headsets, Amazon's Echo, Oculus VR headsets and Google's "Home" (voice activated speaker).

2. Guru gifting. "Back in the old days" we would get someone a gift card if we weren't sure what they wanted, but in the age of personalized gift giving and the pressure to put some thought into your gifting options, here comes the gift of having a guru resource to the rescue. Subscription-based platforms such as Birchbox, Truck Club, Stitch Fix, Allure, FabFitFun, Barkbox, Dollar Shave Club, Club W, Blue Apron and many more allow you to let the guru do the personalization for you. You pay for the subscription; they do the work of finding the perfect items for your loved ones.

3. Fitness Tracker? Check. Yoga pants? Check. Athleisure wear and gear have seen a bump in sales as well. Similar to the rise in techie toys, more and more individuals are conscientious of their health habits and are looking for brands that encourage a healthy lifestyle and keep them motivated towards achieving their goals of health, weight loss or just general well being. Athletic or active wear and gear have become increasingly intertwined in day-to-day life. As such, more people are on the lookout for these items in their stockings or under their trees. Think of items such as fitness trackers (FitBit, Garmin, Misfit, Jawbone, Moov), smart watches, Nike's training gear and famous athleisure clothing lines such as Lululemon, Athleta and Fabletics.

FILE -- Models wear Rihannaâs Fenty collection backstage at Paris Fashion Week in Paris, Sept. 28, 2016. Athleisure is one of the latest trends to run into stores, combining the comfort of form-fitting clothing with the look of workout gear. (Valerio Mezzanotti/The New York Times)

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4. Smartphones are top shopping resource. Eighty-six percent of shoppers plan to do some research online before making a purchase decision. Our "smart" devices truly allow us to be informed and smart shoppers as well. According to Deliotte's 2016 holiday survey, 78 percent of surveyed consumers intend to use their smart phone in some form or fashion to aid in their holiday shopping, and 66 percent intend to use a tablet. Shoppers are going to be using their smartphones for information every step of the way - for locations, directions, coupons/discounts, reviews, product information, price-checking and of course some online shopping or list making as well. What does this mean for retailers? Set up charging stations in your stores.

5. Free shipping? Yes please!

Free shipping is one of the most sought after benefits when shopping online. That's because 71 percent of respondents say they will be swayed in their holiday shopping based on free shipping policies. In fact, 70 percent of all e-commerce transactions are made with free shipping. Bonus: If you can get it there faster, you are even more likely to win over holiday shoppers. This year's shoppers are even more picky than ever; in fact, an item is expected to be delivered with two days to be considered "fast shipping." Three-to-four-day shipping is so last year.

Sarah Roche, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of marketing for Texas Wesleyan University's School of Business in Fort Worth. She is an expert on consumer behavior and the psychology of the shopper.